Lathe grinder



y 1954 J. w; KocK 2,683,341

LATHE GRINDER Filed Oc't. 22, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l .1. w. KocK LATHE GRINDER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 July 13, 1954 Filed Oct. 22 1952 Patented July 13, 1954 v LATHE Germanic.- I .IosephWrKock, Cranford;.N..J., Ap lication-center22, 1952; seriarNo. 316,168 3: Claims." (or 51-259.)

This invention relates to lathe grinders, and more. particularly tov motorized attachments for metaltuming' or' screw-cutting. lathes to adapt them for variousigrinding'operations, particularly of the heavy duty type. 1

The conventional lathe grinder" attachment comprises an: abrasivewheelmounted directly on theashaft: ofsmall electric motor of generally fractional horsepower, the frame of" the motor being. mounted on? the compound slide of the lathe, fort example by: a bar: entering the tool post on the compound: slide. Inasmuch as the abrasive wheel: is mounted: close to the motor casingthis direct mountingseriously limits the depth of internal: grindingw possible and the adaptability of: external grinding; and: subjects the: motor parts to excessive. abrasive dust; as well. as throwing-the strain: of the? grinding force on: the; bearings; of the. motor; Furthermore, for heavy duty grindingrequiring a* large size motor such as one or more horsepower; the=weight of the motor is: difficult: the operator to lift, transport: and install, andval'so-throwsentrain-on the? compound a slideof; the: lathe;

While some; belt: drives: for: grinding attach, ments have: been: provided, these have generally required the: motor to: be mounted on: the compound slide of: theelathe and have involve'd excessive'powerrlossesz Also; such bel-tidrives'have not been: flexible-1 adaptation to: various required operations-,2.andfhaveabeerr inoperative or limitedz in depth" forihternal grinding.

To: increase the depth of int'ernal grinding' by providing motor shaft extensionshas required the provision. of graded lengths: of extensions, timeiconsumed in: coupling; and diflicult yof preserving alignment; renderingprecision grinding diflicultdf not impossible Y Obj ectsof the present invention are therefore grinder'wheel, shaft extensions,-. and-'belt drives; Other objects are toiavoidl-the'lifting of heavy motors and. facilitate; setting up' the grinderpt'o' increase the depth- 0f operation" for: internal grinding and the fiexibilit y'of adaptation of the grindertovariousoperations; to'increaserthesta bility of the bearing: supportlfor the grinder shaft and provide for precision grinding; to increase the-capacity andlclearance ofithe comp'oundslide offthelathe; to remove' the motor from the region 1 sharia-is rigidly but" adjustably: j'ournaled' on the 1 lathe compound slide; and coupledto a flexible shaft from a source: of power: supported indeependently of the=slide.; Thegrinder shaft is journaledi in-ka long barrel haying bearings at each end, the long distance therebetween insuring steady rotation; The'barrel is adiustably mounted in a clamp comprising: a split sleeve mounted in arigid iframe; The" length; of. the barrel1providesa deep range of adjustment. for internal grinding. The rigidframehas a large base area engaging the top cfathe'acompound slide to insure a rigid mounting, and; is adjustably' secured thereto bya boltireceive'd'finthe toolpost slot of the compound slide: The-split sleeve adjusta'bly receives thebarrel; andv is locked in position by set screws on. the frame compressing the split sleeve. A rigid brace is clampedtothe rear end of the'barrel and "extend-sever the coupling and is clamped't'o the-handpiece of the flexible shaft to prevent vibration of the coupling; 1

Other objects and features of novelty will be apparent from the-following description and the accompanying drawings; in which:

Fig: 1 isaperspective viewoffa-metal-turning or= screw-cutting lathe having installed thereon the: grinder attachment according to the pre ferred' embodiment ofithepresent invention;

Fig. 2' is'zar horizontal section through the grinder shaft: mounting; 1 and Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken along the line 3'3 i of Fig. 2':

Referring more par-ticul'arly to the drawings, inFig; 11 the invention is illustrated as being mounted on.- a conventional metal-turning or screw-cutting lathe; comprising a headstock I 0,

ways: l2 andf l4 andv a: tail'stockl 5. The headstock: spindle is driven. by a suitable source of power; such asr-istepped pulleys" Is and a belt l1, and is provided with a chuck 18 which gripsthe workpiece: 202..

Elie-ways lziand': 'Mzslidably support a carriage 2'2: whichibe advancedby' a feed screw 23 suitablygeared i to theheadstock drive, or man ually advanced by=ahandle 253 The carriage 22 Sli d&b1y"Sl1DpDlCSf2, cross-slide:v it which may: be advanced by. a handle 2?. Pivoted-on the crossslidel26': is" a compound base 3h on which is mounted a. compoundlslide 32: moved radially of thee pivot; by a handle 33; The 1 compound? slide -32Ihas a transverseundercut slot 34 adapted to receive the-;bottom of theconventional tool post not shown.

' According: to the present invention, in place of the usual tool post; a bclt 3'5 is provided; having a head 36 slid'able in the tool post slot i 34 for securing to the compound slide the clamp for mounting the grinder shaft. This clamp comprises a rigid frame 3! having upper and lower plates 38 held in spaced relation by spaced posts 39, forming a rigid frame having lightness for handling as well as strength for rigidly supporting the grinder shaft.

The plates 38 have registering slots receiving the bolt 35, and the lower plate 38 has a large bearing area engaging the top of the compound slide 32' to provide a firm mounting when the nut 4! is tightened. The slots 40 permit adjustment of the frame along the slots, in effect increasing the range of the tool post slot 34, and also permitting pivoting of the frame about the bolt 35 in any position thereof as a universal adjustment, in effect also increasing the range of the compound slide 32.

The plates 38 extend beyond the posts 39 and receive therebetween a split sleeve 42, which is square in external cross section, and has a cylin drical central bore which slidably receives a grinder shaft supporting barrel 43 clamped thereby and locked in adjusted position by set screws 44 in the upper plate 38.

The barrel 43 comprises a long rigid tube having a thrust bearing 45 near the abrasive wheel end, and rotary antifriction bearings 46 near each end, protected by dust excluding and grease retaining rings 41, and journaling a grinder shaft 48 having secured to one end thereof an abrasive wheel 49. The long distance between the bearings 46 provides a steady journal for the grinder shaft, and the long axial dimension of the barrel 43 provides a large range of depth adjustment for internal grinding of deep cavities in workpieces.

The end of the grinder shaft opposite from the wheel end thereof, extends out of the rear end of the barrel 43, and is connected by a coupling 50 to the driven end of a flexible shaft 52 comprising a casing 53 including a handpiece 54. The driving end of the flexible shaft is connected by a coupling 55 to the shaft of an electric motor 55 which may be of one or more horsepower, and supported independently of the lathe compound slide, for example by a portable table 5! having casters 58 resting on the shop floor.

In order to prevent whipping or vibration of the coupling 50 a rigid brace is provided, comprising a split sleeve clamp 60 mounted on and gripping the rear end portion of the barrel 43, a split sleeve clamp 62 mounted on and gripping the handpiece 54, and a rigid bridge plate 53 secured to the barrel clamp 60, extending over the coupling 53, and secured to the handpiece clamp 62. Thus the handpiece bearing is rigidly secured in alignment with the barrel bearings.

When not in use, the grinder attachment may be stored with or hung on the Wheeled table 5'! which carries the motor 56. The flexible shaft 52, coupling 50, brace 63, barrel 43, clamp 42 and frame 3? may remain assembled.

When it is desired to set up the device for operation, the table 51 is wheeled into position adjacent to the lathe, the tool post removed, and the attachment bolt head 36 is inserted in the tool post slot 3 of the lathe compound slide 32. The bolt 35 is positioned along the slot 34, and the frame 3! is positioned angularly about the bolt 35 and along the frame slot 40 to give the best bearing on the compound slide 32 to suit the particular operation on the workpiece 20, after which the nut 4| is tightened to secure the 4 frame 31 firmly in position on the compound slide 32.

The barrel 43 is then slid along inside the split sleeve 42 to extend the abrasive wheel 49 the desired distance for the depth of the cavity in the workpiece 20, after which the barrel 43 is locked to the frame 31 by the set screws 44 engaging and constricting the split sleeve 42. After the motor 56 is started, the abrasive wheel may be advanced into the Work by the feed screw 23, or manually by the carriage handle 25 or the compound slide handle 33.

When it is desired to set up for a different depth or shape of workpiece, the set screws 44 may be loosened and the barrel 43 slid along inside the split sleeve 42, or the nut 4| may also be loosened for universal adjustment of the frame 31. This involves no interference with the drive, because the flexible shaft 53 follows the sliding of the barrel and the universal adjustment of the workpiece. To avoid too sharp curvature of the flexible shaft 53 the Wheeled table permits the motor 56 to be moved to a position requiring less curvature.

I claim:

1. A lathe grinder for attachment to a lathe having a compound slide and adapted to be driven by a flexible shaft from a source of power supported independently of said lathe, said flexible shaft having its driving end provided with a handpiece, comprising a rigid grinder shaft adapted for the mounting of an abrasive wheel on the driving end thereof, a barrel having axially spaced bearings journaling said grinder shaft, a clamp having means for securing said shaft bearing barrel to the lathe compound slide, a coupling between the driven end of said rigid grinder shaft and the flexible shaft, and a rigid brace secured to said shaft bearing barrel and extending beyond the coupling and secured to the handpiece of said flexible shaft.

2. A lathe grinder for attachment to a lathe having a compound slide and adapted to be driven by a flexible shaft from a source of power supported independently of said lathe, comprising a rigid frame adapted to be mounted on the lathe compound slide and having upper and lower plates and spacers holding said plates apart, said plates extending laterally beyond said spacers, a barrel between said plate extensions of greater length than the width of said extensions, bearings in said barrel'axially spaced a distance greater than the width of said extensions, a rigid grinder shaft journaled in said barrel and having a driven end projecting therefrom adapted to receive an abrasive wheel and a driven end adapted to be coupled to the driving end of said flexible shaft, means on said upper plate extension for locking said barrel in position, the-axial spacing of said bearings and the length of said barrel permitting said barrel to be unlocked and moved axially between said extensions to adjust the position of said wheel toward and away from said slide.

3. A lathe grinder for attachment to a lathe having a compound slide and adapted to be driven by a flexible shaft from a source of power supported independently of said lathe by a flexible shaft having a handpiece at its driving end; comprising a rigid grinder shaft adapted for the mounting of an abrasive Wheel on the driving end thereof, a. barrel having axially spaced bearings journaling said grinder shaft, a clamp having means for securing said shaft bearing barrel to the lathe compound slide, a coupling between the driven end of said rigid grinder shaft and the driving end of said flexible shaft, a rigid brace secured to said shaft bearing barrel and extending beyond said coupling and secured to the handpiece of said flexible shaft, an electric motor coupled to the driven end of said flexible shaft, and a portable table on which said motor is mounted and having casters for engaging the shop floor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Number 10 112,845 208,437 517,291 329,258

Name Date Ahlberg Dec. 5, 1911 Moor Sept. 23, 1913 Nielsen July 15, 1924 Bachmann Mar. 2, 1926 Beach May 17, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Switzerland Apr. 16, 1926 Great Britain Dec. 20, 1923 Great Britain Jan. 25, 1940 France Mar. 21, 1938 

